I swept the Phoenix with the Onmyoji Shikigami

Qingji couldn't help feeling frustrated.

"Impossible! Sir, it's really like this!"

She stood up and looked around, trying to find more clues on the ground.

The trick must be on the ground, because the ground is the place where people least expect it.

However, no matter how she tried, the hole did not show up.

Xinghan looked at Qingji's serious yet somewhat lost expression. He understood that he needed to comfort her with words at this moment. If she gave up the search, all the previous efforts would be wasted.

He walked forward with a smile and said gently:

"Qingji, don't worry, I believe in you." Xinghan smiled slightly, with a hint of encouragement in his eyes.

"Really?" Qingji looked at Xinghan blankly, with an unclear meaning in her eyes.

"Perhaps, we haven't found the right method yet? Or, this mechanism has some special triggering conditions! Think about it carefully? Maybe there is a new one..."

This is a very common statement, and Xinghan often hears people say this in the real world.

However, Qingji felt like she was stabbed when she heard such comfort. Before she could finish her words, Xinghan saw her expression suddenly turn cold, and she forgot what she wanted to say next.

Qingji raised her head, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes: "Sir, what do you mean by this? Why should I still recall?"

“Because…” Xinghan didn’t think much when he spoke just now, and now he was a little at a loss for words.

"Sir, do you think I am not mistaken? Do you think my memory is unreliable? Do you think I am not smart enough to understand Hei Qingming's mechanism?"

"No, no, no..." Although he instinctively denied Qingji's words, Xinghan felt that Qingji seemed to know what he was thinking.

He felt that his instinct made him unable to fully trust the people he had just met.

There's nothing wrong with that.

But a voice in his heart reminded him: the contract is very sacred and there is no need to doubt it.

Xinghan felt regretful. He was annoyed at his careless suspicion just now. He never expected that his comfort would backfire and make Qingji feel even more hurt. He hurriedly adjusted his tone and tried to explain and comfort her:

"Qingji, please allow me to apologize to you. I didn't mean to doubt you, but we are facing a difficult problem. I think maybe we can think from a different angle or search more carefully. My original intention was to find the cave entrance faster and rescue Shen Li."

However, Qingji's emotions were somewhat out of control. Her lips were tightly pursed, tears were glistening in her eyes, and her voice was trembling and firm:

"Sir, you have always emphasized trust and respect between each other, but your current behavior makes me doubt whether you really regard me as a friend. If you are really worried about me, then we can split up now, and I will go to find the cave alone. In any case, as long as I find it, I will definitely rescue Shen Li safely according to our agreement."

Xinghan felt nervous when he heard this. He knew that his words had caused Qingji to misunderstand him deeply. But at the same time, he was also shocked by Qingji's determination and keeping her promise. He didn't expect that Qingji would stick to their agreement so persistently in the face of difficulties. No matter how great the difficulties were, she would save Shen Li at all costs.

Xinghan deeply admired this spirit, and he realized that Qingji was not only a trustworthy partner, but also a trustworthy friend. A warm current surged in his heart, and he decided to use his actions to make up for his previous mistakes and regain Qingji's trust.

He took a deep breath, walked up to Qingji, gently held her shoulders, his eyes firm and gentle:

"Qingji, please believe me, I have never had the idea of ​​distrusting you. I deeply admire your adherence to the agreement. I was just too anxious when thinking about the problem and did not consider your feelings. Please forgive me, we are partners fighting side by side, and I will never allow any barriers between us. Together, we will definitely find the entrance to the cave and rescue Shen Li."

At this moment, Xinghan realized that Qingji's emotions were just like her natural sensitivity as a snake, ready to explode at any moment, but her heart was like a clear stream, pure and easy to soothe. At this moment, her eyes were slightly red, and tears were rolling in her eyes, as if they could burst at any time. She bit her lower lip tightly, trying to suppress the fluctuations in her heart, but the doubt and grievance in her eyes were difficult to conceal.

Xinghan couldn't help feeling guilty when he saw Qingji like this.

He realized that his words just now might have inadvertently touched Qingji's sensitive nerves, making her mistakenly believe that he had never trusted her at all.

Now it is clear that although Qingji is emotional, her heart is soft from her experience and her story.

With the right approach, it's easy to make her smile again.

He quickly stepped forward and said firmly: "Qingji, don't worry, I believe in you, you will succeed."

Xinghan couldn't say for sure the degree of this confidence. After all, different fields are like different worlds, so it's hard to judge.

Qingji is his own shikigami, Xinghan can only pray that she will succeed.

Qingji's expression eased a little, but her eyes were still flickering, which made Xinghan tremble a little.

"But you must have doubted me. You even think my method is wrong!" Qingji covered her face, looking pitiful.

"I'm just anxious, I believe you." Xinghan almost wanted to raise his hand and swear or something.

"Really? Don't you think I'm untrustworthy? Don't you plan to abandon me?!" Qingji's tone was so sincere that Xinghan wondered if he had really done anything wrong to her.

“No, no, no, absolutely not.” Xinghan took a deep breath and softened his voice: “Qingji, I have never doubted your ability, nor have I ever treated you as an outsider. You are my best partner, and your memory is extremely important to me. I just hope that we can face this difficulty more calmly and find that hidden cave.”

Xinghan's words were like a spring breeze, instantly dispelling most of Qingji's doubts and grievances.

She looked up at Xinghan, tears glistening in her eyes, but more of it was trust and dependence.

She nodded gently, her voice choking:

"My lord, I...I believe in you. I will definitely find the entrance to the cave."

When Xinghan saw Qingji smile again, most of the guilt in his heart disappeared.

He gently patted Qingji's shoulder and encouraged her, "Yes, let's look for it together."

Qingji continued to search for possible cave entrances in the area. She first carefully searched along the edge of the cave, trying to find a clue among the vines. She carefully pushed aside those seemingly ordinary vines, but found that they were just growing randomly without any pattern to follow.

She shook her head in disappointment and continued walking deeper into the cave.

Then, Qingji turned her attention to the weeds in the cave.

She squatted down and gently pushed aside the messy grass with her hands, trying to find the secret hidden therein.

However, no matter how carefully she searched, the weeds were just ordinary plants and there was nothing unusual about them.

She stood up and looked ahead, feeling a little depressed.

While Qingji was searching everywhere, Xinghan was not idle either.

"Hey, I have to do something too." Xinghan thought that the power of two people is always greater.

What's more, Onmyoji who relies on Shikigami is not an easy target.

He knew very well that it was difficult to discover deeply hidden mechanisms with the naked eye.

So, he closed his eyes and began to use his spiritual power to explore the entire area.

"Isn't this the soul-dealing exploration... no, exploration of the cave entrance?"